Finance Controller

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York, TESO Group is a rapidly growing Asian lifestyle retail group in the United States. Its portfolio includes TESO Life, its flagship general merchandise retail brand; TESO X, a collectible toy retail concept; TESO Mini, an Asian convenience store concept; and proprietary brands including MONKIMON and O’HOMNI.

The Group currently operates 35 stores across 14 states, with another 67 locations under construction or in development, and aims to open more than 300 stores by 2030. Its product categories include beauty, snacks, collectible toys, home goods, stationery, and pet products, serving more than 450,000 customers per month.

Position Overview

The Finance Controller will report directly to the CFO and oversee the company's accounting operations, financial reporting, internal controls, and financial compliance across multiple legal entities and retail locations.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting expertise with proven leadership capabilities and experience building accounting processes in a fast-growing organization.

This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to drive meaningful improvements in accounting operations, ERP implementation, financial governance, and organizational development.

Job Responsibilities

• Accounting Operations & Financial Close
• Oversee general ledger, accounts payable, revenue recognition, inventory accounting, fixed assets, leases, payroll accounting, and intercompany transactions.
• Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
• Manage multi-entity consolidation and intercompany reconciliations in accordance with US GAAP.
• Establish standardized accounting policies, reconciliations, accrual procedures, and financial review controls.
• Continuously improve financial close efficiency and reporting quality.
• Prepare and review consolidated financial statements and management reporting packages.
• Analyze financial performance, including revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, inventory, working capital, and cash flow.
• Identify unusual financial trends, accounting discrepancies, and operational risks.
• Support the CFO with management presentations, investor reporting, and financial analysis.
• Internal Controls & Compliance
• Develop, implement, and maintain effective internal controls across key financial processes.
• Strengthen segregation of duties, approval workflows, documentation standards, and financial governance.
• Support IPO readiness initiatives, including SOX readiness, accounting policy development, and audit documentation.
• Coordinate annual financial audits and work closely with external auditors and tax advisors.
• Oversee accounting-related compliance and coordinate tax reporting and filing requirements.
• ERP Implementation & Process Transformation
• Serve as a key finance leader in the implementation and optimization of NetSuite ERP.
• Collaborate with IT and business teams to ensure effective integration among ERP, POS, payroll, inventory, and other operational systems.
• Improve accounting automation, data integrity, financial controls, and reporting capabilities.
• Develop scalable financial processes to support rapid business expansion.
• Lead, coach, and develop the accounting team, including GL, AP, revenue, cost, and other accounting functions.
• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability across the team.
• Strengthen technical accounting capabilities through training, mentoring, and professional development.
• Identify organizational improvement opportunities and support recruiting and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accuracy, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Merchandising, HR, IT, and other departments to improve financial processes and business controls.
• Provide accounting guidance on complex business transactions and operational initiatives.
• Proactively identify and resolve financial and operational issues.

Required Qualifications

• Education : Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license is required.
• Professional Experience : Minimum of 8 years of progressive accounting, finance, or audit experience, including at least 3 years in a management or leadership role.
• Knowledge & Skills :
• Strong technical knowledge of US GAAP, financial reporting, consolidations, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated experience managing month-end and year-end close processes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
• Core Competencies : Proven ability to lead, develop, and motivate accounting teams. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, rapidly growing business environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Big Four public accounting experience (PwC, Deloitte, EY, or KPMG) is a strong plus.
• Experience in multi-entity, multi-location retail, consumer products, or other high-volume transaction environments.
• Experience with NetSuite ERP implementation or optimization.
• Experience supporting public companies, IPO readiness, SOX compliance, or external audits.
• Familiarity with inventory accounting, cost of goods sold, lease accounting (ASC 842), and intercompany transactions.
• Experience building or transforming accounting teams, processes, and internal controls in high-growth organizations.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for more than a traditional accounting manager. The successful candidate will be a strong accounting leader who can:

• Build structure from complexity: Establish scalable accounting processes across a growing organization.
• Lead with technical expertise: Provide sound accounting judgment and practical solutions to complex issues.
• Develop people: Build a capable, accountable, and high-performing accounting team.
• Drive transformation: Improve processes, systems, and internal controls rather than simply maintain existing practices.
• Balance execution and strategy: Deliver accurate financial reporting while supporting long-term organizational development.

Compensation

• $160,000 - $190,000 per year
• Quarterly Performance Bonus: This position is eligible for a quarterly performance-based bonus, subject to the eligibility requirements, performance criteria, and terms of the Company's bonus program.
• 401(k) & 401(k) matching - subject to the eligibility requirements